The thickness or change in thickness across an encapsulated photovoltaic module may be used for process control and reliability prediction. A relatively large difference in thickness between two adjacent measuring points in a single module, referred to as pinch, may correlate to field failures within the module, such as cracks in the glass or within the solar cells or film of the module, burn spots, electrical short circuits, and other failures. Traditional methods of measuring module thickness, to determine if the module is pinched, involved operators taking measurements at various locations on a module using micrometers. One drawback of such methods is that the operator performing the measurement is often incapable of locating the measurement position accurately. Furthermore, the thickness measurement highly depends on the technique used (e.g., angle, force, etc.). Accordingly, the accuracy and repeatability of such methods may be quite poor. As a result, an apparatus and method is needed to more accurately measure the thickness of PV modules.